$100bn US Tax Wasted in Afghanistan

The neocon invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent occupation and “rebuilding”—courtesy of the American taxpayer—has been a $100 billion flop, as that nation’s economy and security situation continues to worsen, an official report has revealed.

The 230-page report says “Afghanistan [has] proved even more dangerous than it was a year ago.”

Despite nearly 10,000 US troops still on the ground more than ten years after invading the country, the “Taliban now controls more territory than at any time since 2001,” the report says.

Furthermore, “vicious and repeated attacks in Kabul this quarter shook confidence in the national-unity government. A year after the Coalition handed responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), American and British forces were compelled on several occasions to support ANDSF troops in combat against the Taliban.”

This lawlessness and “lack of security has made it almost impossible for many US and even some Afghan officials to get out to manage and inspect US-funded reconstruction projects,” which has led to widespread corruption and graft, exploiting the millions of US tax dollars being poured into the country.

This quarter, SIGAR’s suspension and debarment program referred seven individuals and 10 companies for suspension or debarment. “These referrals bring the total number of individuals and companies referred by SIGAR since 2008 to 697, encompassing 368 individuals and 329 companies to date.”

Another task force found that “millions of dollars were being embezzled while Afghanistan pays for numerous nonexistent ‘ghost’ schools, ‘ghost’ teachers, and ‘ghost’ students,” the SIGAR report continued.

A military performance audit found that despite US training efforts, the Afghan National Army’s National Engineer Brigade “is incapable of operating independently.”

In addition, “intractable insurgents, cutbacks in foreign military personnel, persistent emigration of people and capital, and a slowing global economy are shifting Afghanistan’s economic prospects from troubling to bleak,” the report continued.

The large sum of funds that were provided in annual assistance did little to alleviate poverty, “because the government did not focus on the poor. Today, 70 percent of the population still lives on less than $1.75 a day.”

Afghanistan recently scored poorly in the “High Alert” and “Worsening” lists of the United Nations-supported Fund for Peace’s empirically driven Fragile States Index 2015, with particularly bad marks in areas like demographic pressure, refugees, poverty and economic decline, and security, the report pointed out.

All in all, the $100 billion of US tax money sent to Afghanistan has been a complete waste, and has vanished into a Third World black hole of corruption and chaos—and this is one of the countries which is supposedly providing all the “educated refugees” to Europe to strengthen the economy there.

6 Comments

If Bush was any kind of a president he would have carpet bombed them into oblivion and walked away. His brother Jeb has him to thank for his stellar showing in the polls. The American public has seen all the “Bush’s” it cares too.

The only ones who can ever profit from wars – aptly called “making a `killing” – are the bankers.
And who owns the banks ?
The USA will forever be in hock to these banks on the massive debt interest payments alone.
What utter folly. What a total waste of lives. What a waste of taxpayers money.

Current politicians may listen, but they don’t hear – first fact. Secondly, due to modern technology and left wing ideology,teaching of history in schools has been almost eradicated. Finally, in November 1967, British troops left Aden, formerly a Crown Colony (I flew out to serve there at the end of January 1966 until September 1967), and handed over to a terrorist group, mainly because of the massive distrust between those that lived in Aden and those that controlled the various sections of the Protectorates, which is similar to those that control different parts of Afghanistan. IMHO nothing has changed in the Middle East over the last 50 years. There are Adenis of my age group who have stated they regret the British ever leaving. Just look at the whole of the Yemen now!